The troops who were charged with defending Snake Island in the Black Sea have reportedly been captured and are alive and well, the Ukrainian Navy says after initial reports that they were killed.
The group of soldiers valiantly fought against Russian troops on the island, known as Zmiinyi Island, and successfully repelled two assaults. The defenders were later forced to surrender after they suffered a "lack of ammunition."
Snake Island Troops
In a statement on Monday, the Ukrainian Navy reported the reversal of the initial reports but noted that Russian troops have completely destroyed the island's infrastructure, including lighthouses, towers, and antennas.
The Ukrainian Border Guard Service said that over the weekend, they had received information that all of the 82 soldiers on Snake Island may be alive. Previously, Russian state media have shown the arrival of the Ukrainian soldiers in Sevastopol, Crimea, where they are currently being held captive.
Snake Island is positioned roughly 30 miles off the southern tip of the Ukrainian mainland in the northwestern part of the Black Sea. It is also about 185 miles west of Crimea, the Ukrainian territory that Russia annexed in 2014, as per CNN.
After the Ukrainian military first lost contact with the soldiers on Snake Island, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that each of the defenders would be posthumously awarded the title of "Hero of Ukraine."
In a statement, the Ukrainian Navy said that authorities were glad to hear that the troops were alive and well. They added that the illegal capture of a civilian ship, a non-combatant without performing any military mission, was a violation of the rules and customs of war and international humanitarian law.
According to Fox News, officials demanded that Russia immediately release all of the illegally occupied citizens of Ukraine amid its invasion of the region. Adviser to the Ukrainian interior minister, Anton Heraschenko, circulated an audio clip purportedly of Russian forces threatening that they would bomb the 13 Ukrainian soldiers if they did not surrender.
Fog of War
The Russian troops sent a message identifying themselves and proposing the Snake Island soldiers surrender to avoid further bloodshed and unnecessary victims. In their reply, the troops on the island shouted explicitly at Moscow's troops, saying "Russian warship, go f*** yourself."
The initial reports of the troops being dead stemmed from the belief that they were gunned down by Russian soldiers. Zelensky previously noted that Snake Island was part of Ukrainian land and he will order to protect it with all of the country's might.
The incident was an early incident and an example of the fog of war and its effects on parties involved as well as spectators. Reporting about the news of the conflict is usually clouded by distance, efforts to capitalize on potential PR victories, and the general confusion over the multiplicity of events that are occurring at the same time, Yahoo News reported.
Despite its sparse population, Snake Island serves a historic role in Ukrainian territorial waters in the Black Sea. while it is only roughly 46 acres in size, the non-partisan Atlantic Council think tank called the island "key to Ukraine's maritime territorial claims" in the Black Sea.
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